While it was unlikely that the series was just going to fade into darkness following the high-profile eighth and final movie, not many people would have predicted a ‘sequel’ of sorts to be filmed for Harry Potter… apart from in the scenario where it is allegedly taking place.

The ‘mini-movie’, which is said to have brought together many of the cast members from the films reprising their roles, will be produced exclusively for the ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter‘ attraction at Islands of Adventure near Orlando (USA), along with two new ‘Hogwarts’ mini-parks currently under construction within selected Universal Studios park locations.

Early reports, however, claim that Helena Bonham Carter (‘Bellatrix Lestrange’) is amongst the unconfirmed cast for the project, hinting that the production could be a ‘non-canon’ tie-in that will not be vital for fans of the series to see as part of the story.

A source claimed: “The cast have really enjoyed getting back together – they are so tight-knit. The shooting schedule is nowhere near as long as the films, so though filming has been intense, the stars have enjoyed being able to pop in and out.”

Despite the ‘Florida’ theme park being the only one currently open, the film will be premiered at the Universal ‘California’ park after it launches in 2014, while the ‘Japan’ location being built will also receive the film after it is opened in 2016. In other news relating to the series, Harry Potter‘s author J.K. Rowling (who is now working on adapting her latest book, The Casual Vacancy, into a TV series for the BBC) recently sold her home for £2.2m, a value no doubt reached in part because of the potential ‘historical significance’ of it being the place where several novels in one of the most popular series of recent times was written…

Seemingly taking on a similar role to the theme park-only ‘additional content’ that has been attempted at Disney’s range of parks, and for specific movie franchises such as Shrek, Back to the Future, and King Kong, having exclusive Harry Potter content will undoubtedly give the parks that show it a huge attraction for fans, but will there be any high-concept rival theme parks around the world that take up the new attraction challenge?